A Usual Encounter
by Aeta Aella
Summary: A very typical interaction between Lily Evans and James Potter


A/N Hello! Though I've withdrawn from the writing aspect of fanfiction, I've never stopped reading it, while desperately trying to pretend that I'd never written any. xD No real reason for this little return, and even I'm unsure if this heralds any more of a more permanent return, it was just a whim I decided to indulge. Then I looked at my stats…holy, how do all these people find my stories? Aaaaaaaaah. I've left them all up because I want to make sure I can track my progress as a writer, but I'm embarrassed by most of them….. Oh well, if people enjoy them, I'm very happy about that. Just don't think too harshly of me, those of you who have a more critical turn of mind.

A Usual Encounter

"You're staring at me again."

"Evans, my darling, my precious, my one and only, can you fault a poor wizard such as I for simply gazing upon your wonderful effervescent self?" James asked the muggleborn girl he was shamelessly crushing on, stars in his eyes.

Flames were in her jade ones when she turned to look at him, voice flat. "I don't fault you for that alone, you little twerp."

"Twerp!" He gasped, falling backwards into one of the plushy chairs in the Gryffindor common room, the twin to the one that poor Lily Evans was working on an essay as she sat upon it.

"Prongs is not a twerp! He is a bastion of manliness, a tiger amongst ferns, a glob of testosterone, and other incredibly manly metaphors for who our dear Prongs is."

Lily groaned as Sirius bounced up, trailed by wide-eyed Peter and a sheepish Remus. "Hullo Lily." Was the only welcome greeting she'd gotten yet this afternoon. "Working on the Herbology essay?"

"Hullo, Remus. No, the Transfiguration one is getting me." She decided that getting into a conversation with Lupin was far more welcome then getting involved in the minor spat between James and Sirius as they quarrelled about whether testosterone came in globs. "I wish I didn't need this class for becoming an Auror."

"But it's so easy, Evans!" Oh, grand, the minor tiff had been settled, and she had all of Potter's attention again. "Even Peter already has the essay done." The aforementioned Peter went red, and mumbled that he had, indeed, finished the essay already. "You can't be having that much trouble. Here, lemme see."

And just like that, her half-finished essay was yanked out of her hands. "Potter! Give it back!" She called out, grabbing for it, missing and jumping out of her chair to get it back from him, wand forgotten for the moment as the infuriating, messy-haired boy kept just out of her reach, reading her essay.

Lily went as red as her hair as Potter started to laugh. "Oh Merlin, Evans, are you trying to kill old Minerva with a laughing fit? This is rubbish!" She grabbed it, finally, trying to tug it from his grip, glaring at him, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Shut up, Potter! I'm not done."

"You won't get anything but a T with an essay this bad." He told her, keeping hold of the paper and leaning in, hazel eyes catching and holding hers. "Maybe you could use some…tutoring?" And here was where he made his mistake, one hand automatically going to ruffle his hair, allowing her to yank her work free and return to the chair, angrily packing her things.

"Maybe you could use some manners, you ill-mannered jerk!" She snarled, slapping Sirius' hand when, curious, he reached for the essay himself.

"Owww." He whined, sucking the part of his hand she had hit. "I just wanted to see how bad it was. Moooonyyyy, it huuuuurt."

"I've got some chocolate in my bag, I think." Remus told him, ruffling in his bag for the bar he could swear he had earlier.

Lily put her bag over her shoulder, starting to stomp off towards the girls dormitory.

"Aw, wait Evans, don't take it so personal, I'm trying to do you a favour. You could use some tutoring in Transfiguration, and I'm the best student. C'mon, what do you say?" James flashed her his most dazzling smile.

Lily stomped on his foot. "I say, piss off you wanker!" And stormed up the stairs, mumbling about rude Marauders.

James swore, grabbed his foot-but did watch her leave, sighing when she was out of his sight. "Oh, Peter, isn't she gorgeous."

"She's bloody terrifying, James." Peter told Prongs, earning a light swat on the shoulder as the Marauders decided to go and find Snivellus and see what colour his pants were today.


End file.
